The Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP

Secretary of State for Health

Constituency:    Hull West and Hessle

Background Information:

Alan Johnson was born in 1950 and was educated at Sloane Grammar School, Chelsea. He became a postman in 1968, and joined the Union of Communication Workers at the same time.
He held a number of posts representing employees from 1976 and was elected to the National Executive Council in 1981. He became General Secretary in 1992 and Joint General Secretary of the Communications Workers' Union (CWU) from 1995 to 1997.
He was a Member of the General Council, TUC from 1994 to 1995 and a member of the Labour Party NEC from 1995 to 1997.

• Member for Hull West and Hessle since 1^st   May 1997
• PPS to Dawn Primarolo: as Financial Secretary, HM Treasury 1997-99, as Paymaster General, HM Treasury 1999
• Department of Trade and Industry 1999-2003: Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Competitiveness) 1999-2001, Minister of State 2001-03:
  (Employment Relations and Regions 2001-02, Employment Relations, Industry and the Regions 2002-03)
• Minister of State, Department for Education and Skills (Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education) 2003-04
• Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 2004-05
• Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 2005-06
• Secretary of State for Education and Skills 2006-07
• Secretary of State for Health 2007-
• Member of the Trade and Industry Select Committee 1997-98
• Stated political interests are Education, electoral reform, employment and Post Office

Responsibilities:

• NHS and social care delivery and systems reform
• Finance and resources
• Strategic Communications